The recent survey by the Youth Endowment Fund revealing the shocking scale of the impact of violence on the lives of teenagers is another reminder that many of our children feel unsafe.

It suggests that almost half of our teenagers have witnessed violence or harm, a third of children have a social worker and a third of those in a family that relies on food banks have been a victim of violence. In short, for many thousands of young people, violence and harm is a regular part of life.

Alarm bells should be ringing across Whitehall.

Fractured and underfunded systems

It is a year since we at the Commission on Young Lives published our report setting out what a new system of support would like like capable of protecting young people from violence and harm, and supporting them to succeed.

We know those children with a higher number of adverse childhood experiences are at greater risk of harm - those who are excluded or out of school, those with special educational needs and disabilities (often undiagnosed or unsupported), those living in vulnerable families, those in care or those with poor mental health.

Yet the systems that should be there to support them are fractured and underfunded, and are not joined together as part of a national plan.

We put forward proposals to move to a more inclusive education system and for “Sure Start for teenagers” hubs in and around schools, which would bring together health, children’s services, the police and schools to provide coordinated and bespoke support.

We also called for funding for schools and local centres to open as safe places in the evening, at weekends and during holidays and for an army of youth workers to run them.

Alongside that, we called for mental health teams in all secondary schools and mental health hubs that are easily accessible and meet the specific needs of different communities.

Green shoots emerging - but too slowly

Our plans have been widely welcomed and I do believe there is a discernible shift towards many of the recommendations, often supported by the good work of local Violence Reduction Units.

I’m also pleased that shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has committed to a 10-year programme of hubs for young people to prevent violence and crime, should Labour win the next election.

These have the potential to break the cycle of violence and build a national infrastructure of support, and there is no reason why the current government could not embrace them, too.

In practice, though, these moves are in their infancy, and where there are green shoots, they are still growing too slowly.

Local agencies need investment to boost preventative work and coordination, and we need a clear drive from the top of government to bring about the scale of change that is needed.

Chance for a reset

The appointment of a new home secretary, James Cleverly, provides the chance for a reset, and I’ve already written to him asking him to restore the Serious Violence Taskforce, which was mothballed four years ago.

I’ve urged Cleverly to lead ministers across government departments to put a focus on young people’s safety, with schools, mental health teams, local councils and the police all playing their part.

Outside the Westminster bubble of reshuffles and opinion polls, young people with their lives ahead of them are still being killed on our streets, often by other young people.

This is a national emergency of violence and harm involving young people, and it needs an emergency response from the government. I hope the new home secretary will take up the challenge.

Anne Longfield is chair of the Commission on Young Lives and former children’s commissioner for England